When The Ponies Neigh: Arc of Guilt

SEVENTH

Winter Wrap up was finally here. This year they had their official organizer to make things more efficient for everyone. There was some issues about the investigation for Applebloom's disappearance going stall, but it was soon solved
Twilight Sparkle has been there earlier than anyone could remember. Applejack and Rainbow Dash find each other, just to wish each other good luck

There seems to be an unusual enthusiasm this year, as much as there seems to be a lot of gossips, all of them about Applejack: "Look at her" "She's so brave" "Her sister's disappearance won't stop her, no wonder why she's the Pony of Ponyville"

Before the Wrap up begins, the mayor gathers everyone for the usual announcement

-"Thank you ponies for once more being here so early. Before we start I'd like to thank Applejack who still managed to come despite the prior events. The disappearance of the little Applebloom has moved us, but let us have Applejack as a beacon of courage for everypony!"

As the Mayor finishes her words, the prancing of the ponies made itself loud. Rainbow Dash saw how Applejack face tried to fake thankfulness, but instead inspired shame. No other Pony seemed to notice, and those who seemed to just said "This must be very difficult for her".
The Mayor Followed: "Well Now, you all know your teams and duties, so let's make this the best Wrap up so far!"
'Yays' and 'hoorays' are heard all over before the teams spread as they should. Twilight takes her role as organizer and deploys each team from the biggest task to the smallest.

Rainbow Dash and the weather control crew fly up high and start to take care of certain districts of clouds. They have to wait for the signal of the Animal team to fully free the sky of clouds
Applejack begins the removal of snow on the fields. In intervals, she peeked at the rabbit meadow all the time, despite of being really far

-"Applejack? Are you alright?" Asks Baritone, who's right behind her, plowing the snow.
-"What? Oh, yeah...I'm ok"
-"You sure you don't want to go home?"
-"I'm fine" Applejack pulls her plower stronger than before and gains distance between the other ponies

Meanwhile, far from there, the Animal team just arrived a meadow of rabbit holes. They must hurry, so there's no time wasted for the weather control team.
They have a good part of the animals awaken at last. Taking Twilight's idea from last year, they tie a bunch of bells clinging on every warren controlled by one single rope. The bells chime and most animals come out of their dens.
The crew is nice enough to assist some of the animals who seems to be rattled by the sudden awakening. Fluttershy couldn't be more satisfied with the hard work. Fluttershy soon notices there's something wrong; a very peculiar, high pitched screech were heard. Fluttershy follows the noise into a rabbit warren.

-"Is everything ok in there?".- Fluttershy gets its head inside the hole, she can clearly hear that the critters in that hole are trapped
-"Oh dear, oh dear! Somepony, help!" Vanilla Sweets soon comes to help
-"What happened?"
-"There are stuck in there" Vanilla Sweets can hear that, but she can't tell why, it's too dark in there. Whatever it was, the bunnies sure sound desperate

-"Somepony bring here a lantern!" Soon, Mochaccino brings them a lit lantern.

Vanilla Sweets flashes it into the hole and manages to see something, something that shines along with the light of the lantern

• "What is that...?".- wonders Vanilla Sweets
  >"It looks like some sort of...plastic wrap".- ponders Fluttershy
  -"Hold me, I'm going in"
  -"What? B-but it's too small"
  -"If I get stuck, then just pull me with all your strength"
  -:"Oh, I don't know if I can..." by the time Fluttershy says this, Vanilla Sweets it's already crawling inside the den. It's really tight. Vanilla Sweets can hardly keep going with all the dirt going in her mouth and ears. Fluttershy crawls inside the hole, holding Vanillas rear hooves. She is soon immersed too much inside and calls for help. Mochaccino who looked the entire scene holds Fluttershy's tail with his mouth.

-"Almost...there" .- Vanilla Sweets finally reaches out the plastic wrap.

She barely moves it a little when a very strong and disgusting stench comes out of the bag

-"Ewwww"
-:"What is it?" asks Fluttershy
-:"I don't know, but it stinks, ewww and the insides are all gooey" .- Vanilla Sweets picks the bag in her hand with much disgust "Awright pug me bahg"

Mochaccino pulls but of them back, falling on his lap as they all are launched outside the hole. A family of rodent quickly escapes from the hole on the ground.

-"Oh dear, are you alright?"
-"Yes, thank you Flutters--
-"You must have been soooo scared!" Fluttershy holds the poor rodent family on her hooves as Mochaccino snorts in disappointment

A bunch of ponies gather around the plastic bag, who casts a very nauseating smell

-"By Celetia, what is that horrible stench?" is the general question. Written Script comes close and rips a hole on the bag with his horn. A bunch of flies scape from the bag, and the smell intensifies"

-"Gah...this is disgusting"
-"Can we please throw this and continue with our labor"

Fluttershy notices something in shock

"Wait!, what is that?" She points out at something now visible from inside the bag

-"looks like...a hoof" Everyone gasp in horror
-"Calm down, calm down" calls Written Script. He comes close to the bag and rips it open a bit more. Mochaccino uses its horn too to rip it open entirely. As the integrity of the bag plummets, the insides are sprawled into the ground for everyone to see.

Up high in the sky, the weather control team could hear multiple screams of horror. Rainbow Dash who was taking a nap from resting on her duty could hear it too. As she turned to see where it came from, her iris became really small, there was so much sweat running trough her face

-"What was that?" Asks Firefly, as she and other Pegasi descend to know about all the commotion.
-"Oh no..." Rainbow Dash flies quickly to search for Applejack. Her insides twitch, she feels physically sick, she never remembered having vertigo before, but now she felt she could hardly keep her lunch.
When she arrives to Applejack's location, she is still working as nothing ever happened. Rainbow Dash lands on a piece of clean plowed earth, shaking like the victim of an earthquake. Applejack and other Earth ponies notice her
-"Rainbow Dash...what in the world--?"
-"A.J come quickly, I think--"

A Unicorn with a solemn grimace comes immediately after
-"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have to come with us"
-"W-why? what is--" Big Macintosh runs by next to them. Somebody got to him first.

Applejack follows him into a big circular crowd. As they both arrived, the sights of sorrow and sadness surrounded them at the same time.
Once Big Mac got in the middle, he simply crumbled in the ground. Applejack walked by and stood next to him. Her mouth fully open.
The vision of the two siblings finding out the mauled corpse of their younger sister was just too powerful, mares and stallions alike shared tears and turned their sights away. There were a moment of silence that seemed too last forever
The mayor came soon, accompanied with Twilight Sparkle.

-"What in the name of Celestia is--" The mayor gasped mute. She too joined the silence when she noticed Big Mac coming a little closer, to touch the inert hoof of his younger sister. He took it despite the smell, moved it up and let the inertia put it back down.
What happened next, could not be described simply as crying, or shouting, it was a crude down right brutal demonstration of suffering. Big Mac's mourning roar could be heard by everyone. As they hear it over and over again, the crowd payed their respects lowering their heads.
The pegasi who stopped working in a hurry, forgot to clear a lingering cloud holding the first rain of spring.